The Loeb-Leopold case - The Clarence Darrow Collection

The Loeb-Leopold Case
to pull one end and Leopold the other; and the
reason he wanted that done was, as I will demon-
strate as we go on, Leopold had something on him.
Leopold knew about the crimes A, B, C and D, and
in this murder he was going to make Leopold pull
the rope, so he would have something equal on
Leopold.
" And they planned for each of them, namely,
the patient and his associate, to have hold of one
end of the strangling rope, and they would pull at
the same time, so that both would be equally guilty
of murder. They did not seem to think that this
would give them a closer tie in their friendship."
No thrill; no delight; it was the sharing of
culpability.
" It was not anticipated that the blow on the back
of the head with the taped chisel would be fatal.
The patient states that he thinks that during the
last week preceding the crime he had less pleasure
in his anticipation."
He didn't take the same pleasure in thinking of
getting ten thousand dollars by kidnaping, the last
week, because the murder began to worry him, and
he was going to make Leopold share the guilt
equally of the murder. This man who does not
believe in God, and certainly does not believe in the
laws of the State of Illinois, who has no emotions or
heart, might be surprised to know that it was his
own conscience bothering him the last week.
" He did not want to back out, because of their
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